BuiltSpace Blog
Hvac
Are Service Records the Real Key to Energy Efficiency?
There is a direct relationship between building equipment maintenance and building energy efficiency. Dirt, heat, corrosion and lack of lubrication, over time make HVAC and electrical equipment work harder. That uses more energy and increases operating and maintenance costs. Are maintenance service records the key to energy efficiency and lower operating costs? I … Continue reading
The economics of Rooftop Units (RTU). Energy efficiency depends on your choices.
Rooftop Units (RTUs) are everywhere. Over 45 percent of the commercial real estate space in the US is cooled, and/or heated by packaged units. This equipment is usually exposed to the elements, on a rooftop or outdoor space. Exposure shortens equipment life, so well cared for RTUs have a life expectancy of about 15 years. … Continue reading
Guaranteed sticky! Capture every HVAC service call with dynamic stickers
It’s all but guaranteed that every boiler, chiller, AHU (air handling unit) or pump is plastered with someone’s sticker. Most HVAC service contractors put some sort of sticker on the equipment that they maintain. You’ll probably find their branding and a phone number. On the rarest of occasion there might actually be some helpful information attached, like a written log … Continue reading
Pay attention to parasitic energy use in commercial building HVAC systems
A 1999 study by Detlef Westphalen andScott Koszalinski, Energy Consumption Characteristics of Commercial Building HVAC Systems looked at parasitic energy consumption. Following are some excerpts from this study. If you own or maintain buildings, this is well worth reading. Parasitic energy use, the energy used to power the fans and pumps which transfer heating and … Continue reading
Maintenance Matters: The energy cost of HVAC air filters.
Every day your building loses energy efficiency, with occasional improvement as equipment is serviced. The “drift”, if left unchecked, could be as much as 30 percent of your energy energy consumption. How does this happen? A 2012 University of British Columbia study (Montgomery, Green & Rogak) considers the energy cost of filtering air through different … Continue reading
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